Colour —Talkies!

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 193, 16 August 1941, Page 17

Colour —Talkies!

' AUCKLAND FILM HISTORY—No. 4

came colour photography. Boxing Night, 1911, saw Hayward's screening colourmatography and Fuller's showing kmematography — both shows using the colour blade process. This was certainly a great lift forward, but, of course, not to be compared in any way to "Gold Diggers of Broadway" or "The King of Jazz," with its beautiful pastel shades, of recent years.

The projection booth of to-day contains a wonderful array of smooth working machinery, and I feel sure that very few of the early mechanists would know much about such modern contrivances as loon setters, spool boxes, take-ups or cartoon strips. F

But an even balance is struck bv the technicians of to-day having a very limited knowledge of the properties of black manganese and ether, carbide, calcium, potassium or even saturators, in the manufacture ot gas, as an illuminant for movie machines. This also applies to gas nags, tanks, cylinders and portable electric plants driven from a farmer s traction engine. Locally-made Pictures To Mr. Chas. Newham must go a sreat measure of credit as being one of the first successful photographers in the early days of cinematography in Auckland. In association with Mr Gec !r ge <£? rr in 1911 > two fihns were made, "Trawling Industry in New Zealand" and "With the Ganncts at Cape Kidnappers." These rate among the first industrial and scenic pictures. Later these two movie pioneers worked together on "Hinemoa" with an all-Maori cast, which was shown ?LV ie J L 5 rr . ic Theatre on August 23, 1914. Frank Stewart was also very early on the photographic side of motion pictures, and reeled two dramas, "A Brother's Sacrifice," and Just As The Sun Went Down," with George Tarr and Frank Devonport, respectively, as producers. I am writing now of very early efforts, for Frank Stewart has accomplished many things, photographically, since ! those days. I As this is only a brief summary I of the progression of the picture industry in New Zealand, I will leave it to some future chronicler to write ! the full story of the production side of the business. When this is done, II am sure that the name of Rudall Hayward will figure most prominI ently. He has approached pictures from every angle, but it is on the production and movie camera side that he ranks with the best in New Zealand. His subjects are many and varied, and some of the well remembered ones are "The Te Kooti Trail," "The Bush Cinderella," "My Lady of the Cave," "The Bloke From Freeman's Bay," "On the Friendly Road," and two copies of "Rewi's Last Stand," the last a good representative New Zealand talkie in every way. Every year sees fresh ideas being brought into action in this progressive business, for movie men must move on in the changing scene. This is most apparent in a photographic group of Auckland picture theatre managers and film men I have of 1924. Here they are:—R. T. Michaels, Phil. H. Hayward, Thomas A. O'Brien, Bud. Atkinson, A. Sherlock, Rox Woodward, Phil. Murdock, E. Lightfoot, Don. Alexander, Rud. Peterson, J. A. Matheson, D. Cook, A. W. Andrews, C. R. Smith, R. L. Cleland, E. Brownrigg, Geo. Coulter, Geo. Alexander, C. Crosher, Ernest de Tourett, James Wilson, Laurie Quinn and W. Martin.

In the concluding article of a series dealing with the growth of the motion picture industry in Auckland this "old-timer" deals with the events of the past 20 years when the biggest step forward has been made.

By Dave McWilliams

For years, "talkies" were a dream. Not the synchronised sound from gramophone records worked in unison with films, but something in the way of sound being photographed on to the film itself. At last it came, through the genius of Dr. de Forrest. The first genuine talkies were shown by his original process at the Majestic Theatre on .Julv 9, ]926 It was called "Phonofilm," and comprised a programme of short talking and singing subjects, and, although not by any means perfect it was a dream that had come true in picturedom, full of promise for the future. For almost three years the scientists went on with their investigations, and it. was not until May 3 1929, when "The Singing Fool" made its appearance at the Plaza Theatre with Al .Tolson in the lead that we realised that the new era had really arrived. The drastic change came quickly, and within a very few weeks a great majority of the city shows had switched from silent to sound. One of the largest Independent theatrical organisations which at present controls films and theatres in the Dominion is Amalgamated Theatres, Limited, headquarters of which are located in Auckland. Two of the directors, who actively pilot the destinies of this company, arc Messrs. M. J. and J. P. Moodabe. Today the company they represent controls a chain of 60 theatres, touching most of the cities and towns in the Dominion. Their staff, in all, totals close on 2000. A Big Industry Now The New Zealand Government some time ago released the following information from the Statistics Department in reference to the motion picture industry in Auckland district for the year 1939: Theatres 235, persons engaged 1086, salary and wages £123,991, paid admissions 11,264,748 and admission receipts £700,149. What a progression along the path of sight and sound, from the "Myriorama" and silent film days. They are memories now and. perhaps rightly so, for they were but cogs in the machinery of picture progression towards the ultimate goal—television. Near the entrance to "VVaikaraka Cemetery not very far from Auckland city, there is a monument to John Fuller, the singer who thrilled thousands in the early 'nineties. Time

has moved on apace. The enterprises he started in such a small way are being carried on successfully in the Dominion, and in Australia by a new generation of Fullers. There are three monuments to his memory in our city. This one in stone at Waikaraka—on which is carved the words and music of his most popular songs—the John Fuller Trust Fund for the orphanages of Auckland, regardless of denomination, and St. James' Theatre, controlled by his son, Sir Benjamin Fuller, which is just a few vards away from the site of the old'agricultural hall, where John Fuller took us through "Ireland in a Jaunting Car," and sung his way to our hearts in the old Myriorama days. Yes, a new generation has stepped forward to the controls to take over, and in this year of grace, 1941. the picture organisation staffs go down to business as thev would to anv shop or office. But those of us who are left to think back, have memories of those early davs, when we travelled by wagon to a township 7—"swung the sheet," pumped gas into a tank, "dodgered" the town, or posted a day-bill on a corrugated iron fence, or on a cream stand at a cross-roads. We recollect also, how we spent hours in the pelting rain next day, digging the conveyance out of the muddy roads, to allow us to get to the next town in time to show that night— to find, perhaps, that it was too wet for the people to come out. Those were the days!